Daniel B. Hess

Research

Central to Dr. Hess’ research agenda is interpreting how
the built environment of cities (and the public policies that
support this form) influences travel behavior.

He uses an array of research methods to interpret how policies
affect travel choices and how methodologically we can best analyze
urban spatial dynamics. Access to employment for welfare recipients
and low-wage workers is one of Dr. Hess’ concerns, and he has
conducted evaluations of policy and practice in California and New
York. Dr. Hess is particularly interested in transit system
performance and alternative transit funding arrangements, and he
has conducted evaluations of employer and university transit pass
programs.

Education

B.S. (civil and environmental engineering), Clarkson
University
M.U.P., University at Buffalo, State University of New York
Ph.D. (urban planning), University of California, Los Angeles

Course(s)

Dr. Hess’ teaching portfolio includes both required and
elective courses in the undergraduate and graduate curriculums;
many of his courses focus on planning practice and its relationship
to the built environments of cities and regions. Dr. Hess teaches
Evolution of Urban Structure, a core course that examines the
history of cities and the history of planning, and Transportation,
Land Use, and Urban Form, a course examining the complex
relationship between the built form of our cities and their
transportation systems. In the undergraduate curriculum, he teaches
Visions of the City, which exposes students to various viewpoints
on urban and environmental topics.

Public Service

Dr. Hess consults with federal, state, and local agencies so
that his research can lead to more effective planning. Dr. Hess
recently was part of a team that explored design concepts and
programs for adding transit-oriented development along
Buffalo’s Metro Rail corridor. He currently has a grant from
the Mineta Transportation Institute to investigate the barriers
that keep older adults from riding traditional fixed-route transit.
He also won a grant from the Federal Transit Administration to
investigate how public involvement can be used to expand
alternative transportation financing schemes.

Selected Publications

“Effects of Public Perception on Urban Planning:
Evolution of an Inclusive Planning System During Crises in
Latvia” (with Māra Liepa-Zemeša). (forthcoming).
Town Planning Review.

"Policy Support for and Barriers to Inner-City Transit-Oriented
Development: A Literature Review" (with Peter Lombardi).
(2004). Journal of the Transportation Research
Board 1887.

“Measuring the Role of Transportation in Facilitating the
Welfare-to-Work Transition: Evidence from Three California
Counties” (with Evelyn Blumenberg).
(2003). Journal of the Transportation Research
Board 1859.